Garfield without Garfield?

Growing up, my grandmother loved the Garfield comics. She even collected the dolls. I remember being thrilled when we moved to "Garfield St", which I assumed to be a tribute to the cat (not the US president). I was 6. Needless to say, Garfield is the only comic in my mind.

But today, I learned about Garfield-minus-Garfield. Dan Walsh started taking Garfield out of his own comics, leaving Jon wandering around talking to himself. He calls it "revealing the existential angst of Jon Arbuckle."

Jon, as far as the comic strip is concerned, is defined by his interactions with his cat. Without Garfield, most of the comic frames are empty backdrops. When Jon does appear, he ends up talking to himself. The comic takes on a completely different tone, with Jon appearing as a depressed shadow of his cat-owning persona.

Imagine if we wrote Garfield-replaced-by-God. Wonder what Jon's life would look like then? Those empty frames would be filled with God, Garfield's witty comebacks turned to compassionate responses. I imagine the conversations would delve a little deeper than lasagna and sleep. Somehow, I think we'd see an emboldened, confident Jon.

So, what's my Garfield, the one thing that I interact with that defines me? Question is, what happens if that's God? What does it look like for God to be that defining center for me?

Side note - The best part is, when Jim Davis found out, he didn't sue Walsh. Instead, they teamed up to write a book. There must be a lesson in Jim Davis's reaction, a great example for us to follow...